Saving digital history: U of A librarian part of global effort to preserve Ukrainian culture amid Russian invasion
A University of Alberta librarian is part of a global effort to help preserve Ukrainian websites and archives as Russia invades the country.
While Peter Binkley, a digital scholarship technologies librarian, may not be in the trenches at the frontlines of the war in Ukraine, he considers himself to be playing a critical role in their resistance by preserving Ukrainian culture.
The academic is part of more than 1,300 volunteers working on the Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online (SUCHO) project identifying important historical materials, digital content, and archives at-risk of being lost forever.
"No doubt (many of) those archives have their own backup systems, and they might be okay, but those systems are vulnerable too," Binkley told CTV News Edmonton. "The point is to copy this stuff outside of Ukraine onto servers that aren't under threat of bombardment."
"We just have to assume everything is vulnerable, and we are going to save it all," he added. "Even if at the end of the day, only 0.01 per cent of what we save is actually needed because something was destroyed, we don't know what 0.01 per cent that is going to be be."
The effort has saved more than 30 terabytes of data from 3,500 websites ranging from scanned documents, site backups, and artwork.
"There's an awful lot there that should be saved," Binkley said.
"If it (backing up data) weren't done, and stuff is lost, that's a gap in the record," he said. "As a librarian, I hate that. I don't want that to happen."
One of the first sites Binkley helped preserve was the Kharkiv School of Photography digital exhibition database, dating back more than 20 years.
"You click through these pages, and you see all kinds of things," Binkley said. "Like, when teenagers (there) were adopting punk style. Saving that snapshot of their lives from that period is really important."
"What's made this fun for me was being exposed to Ukrainian culture on the web in a way that I've never looked at before," Binkley added.
The collective of volunteers works with software that converts websites into a single file that can be stored outside Ukraine.
Binkley cites one example from early into the Russian military conflict where the team secured more than 100 gigabytes of data from a Ukrainian state archive, only for that server to go dark hours later.
"I don't even know if we know what happened," Binkley added. "Whether it was bombed or lost power or just lost network.
"Clearly, the timeliness of saving this stuff is important. It's very vulnerable. It's very much under threat during the fighting."
Anyone can join the SUCHO team, Binkley said, with a particular need for people who read Ukrainian or Russian.
Preserving Ukrainian culture seems even more important now as the Russian invasion inches closer to its second month, Binkley says.
"What we've seen is that the Russian theory of this action is that there's no such thing as Ukrainian culture," the librarian said.
"So if they take over," he added, "if they put in a new administration in a university, along with all the other changes they make, they might say, get that Ukrainian stuff offline.
"So if that happens, we'll have a record. Hopefully, it won't come to that."
For more information, visit SUCHO's website.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Carlyle Fiset
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

BREAKING Jobless rate rises to 5.8%, economy adds modest 25,000 jobs in November
Statistics Canada says the unemployment rate ticked up to 5.8 per cent last month as job creation continues to lag population growth in the country.
Jaw-dropping video shows collapse at Coquitlam, B.C., construction site
Emergency work is underway after a collapse at a Coquitlam, B.C., construction site that was caught on camera this week.
CSIS whistleblower hopes they 'lit a match' with allegations of rape and harassment
A CSIS officer who is among a group of whistleblowers raising allegations of sexual assault and harassment in the spy agency's British Columbia office says she hopes their actions have 'lit a match' to change what she calls a 'dark and disturbing place.'
Blasted by Bloc, Conservative MP apologizes for asking minister to speak English
Conservative MP Rachael Thomas has apologized after drawing criticism from other members of Parliament for asking Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge to answer questions in English at a committee meeting.
Report: Belief death penalty is applied unfairly shows capital punishment's growing isolation in the U.S.
More Americans now believe the death penalty, which is undergoing a yearslong decline of use and support, is being administered unfairly, a finding that is adding to its growing isolation in the U.S., according to an annual report on capital punishment.
Canadian-owned mine will begin closure in Panama after contract deemed 'unconstitutional'
A Canadian mining company is expected to begin the process of closing its multibillion-dollar operations in Panama today after weeks of civil unrest and protests from civilians fearing the ecological repercussions of its open-pit copper mine that is twice the size of Manhattan.
Live updates Israel and Hamas trade blame for ceasefire's end as combat resumes
Israel resumed fighting in Gaza minutes after a temporary ceasefire deal ended, and accused Hamas of having violated the truce. Hamas blames Israel, saying it declined offers to free more hostages.
For a male sexual assault survivor, justice won in U.S. court does not equal healing
Instead of being able to focus on recovery, Sam Schultz has been saddled with worries from other gay men that talking about sexual abuse in their community will hurt the fight for LBGTQ+ rights.
NHL veteran Perry apologizes for 'inappropriate' behaviour, says he is seeking help
Corey Perry says he has started seeking help for his struggles with alcohol following his release from the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks.